


happy for them

by diminishedmercury



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Lotus Petals - Freeform, Qrow POV, Short, Sunny Bees, pyrruby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 12:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diminishedmercury/pseuds/diminishedmercury
Summary: Qrow had said he would protect them. He'd promised himself this a long time ago. But, there are things that Qrow can't protect them from. Heartache was the purest form of torture, he thinks to himself, watching his nieces in their quiet suffering. They're two very different forms of heartache, but heartache nonetheless. He doesn't know how to fix this (he can't and he knows that and it's why he quietly watches and offers his support where he can).





	happy for them

Qrow had  _said_ he would protect them. He'd promised himself this a long time ago. But, there are things that Qrow  _can't_ protect them from. Heartache was the purest form of torture, he thinks to himself, watching his nieces in their quiet suffering. They're two very different forms of heartache, but heartache nonetheless. He doesn't know how to fix this (he can't and he knows that and it's why he quietly watches and offers his support where he can). It's funny, though, that even heartache would be inherited from these girls' fathers. Grief in mourning death and grief in abandonment. He doesn't know how he can offer advice- he's still mourning Summer and he knows that Ruby will be mourning Pyrrha for the unspecified future. Yang- well. He supposes that there is possibility for that one to be healed. The relationship isn't destroyed. Bent, maybe, out of shape, fragile. But it's still there and he thinks that those three will be alright, even without their third near them. Perhaps it's best for Sun to not be here right now anyways. Blake and Yang have things they need to sort out and Qrow silently commends the faunus boy for recognizing this. He just hopes this will not end how it did for Taiyang and Raven and Summer.

He watches them all grow apart and simultaneously together while they are still in Mistral. There are walls here that need to be climbed, walls that need to come down, walls that keep them all so far away when they are so close together. He's not sure he  _can_ do anything. They are their own people- young, but independent nonetheless. He wants them to grow and make mistakes and learn from them. He's a drunk, but he's not incapable of compassion. He understands their pain and so he does the best that he can for these teenagers. He gets up early in the mornings and sits with Ren. He's a soft spoken boy, but he's intelligent and well spoken. He likes him and his company. He seems to be the mediator of the bunch, often times bringing up the topic that no one wants to broach as well. He sees what must be done, Qrow thinks, and does it. But, it is precisely this reason that he's holding in all of his feelings. He's holding on to an unimaginable amount of anguish and no one thinks to ask him about it. He's quiet and to them, that means he's fine. Maybe he is coping, but Qrow can see the fatigue behind pink eyes and he can see the way he holds himself just that much higher. Qrow has learned that those are the people trying to hold up the most weight. So, he sits with him in the quiet of the morning and watches the sun rise and when Ren decides he wants to speak, he listens. Qrow hardly does the talking during these mornings together. He thinks that Ren just needs someone to listen, and it seems to help him support the others.

He's up one morning for their routine when he catches the red of Ruby's hair sitting with him. He stays back, curious and not wanting to break whatever spell of calm Ren has cast over them all. He's surprised to hear  _Ren's_ voice and not that of Ruby. She's caught on, it seems. He's happy for them and he moves on. He can step aside to let Ruby have this new tradition. And it does become just that. He often times sees them sitting out on the porch, watching the sun, while he drinks his coffee and everyone else is asleep. Sometimes, it's Ruby that's talking. Sometimes, it's Ren. Walls are coming down, he realizes, and he's happy for them. All of these kids could use a friend and they're all so reluctant to talk about the things that trouble them.

When he can, and when he knows that Ruby and Ren are occupied, he finds himself sitting with Blake. She's hurting, but she won't talk. She's different in that regard- most people like to talk about their pain. Or at least, it helps release it. For her, it seems to do just the opposite. She's used to her truth being rejected. She's used to her emotions being used against her. She's been  _abused_ to put it simply. They mostly sit in silence. He's not sure how to interact with this one. "She's not angry," He says one day. She looks at him with a sharp gaze and he can see the hurt there. "She's upset. Not angry." And when Yang's upset, she often channels that into anger. He thinks it's easier for her to stop herself from getting more hurt.

"... I know." Is what she says and he drops it. He can take a hint. He sits, he drinks coffee. She sits, she drinks coffee. Hopefully, they can find a way to repair what has been damaged.

He catches Yang speaking with Sun before he leaves. He doesn't mean to intrude on such a private moment, watching the way she clings to him with his tail wrapped around her middle. It's sweet, but she's crying and he's not sure if she was ever really angry that he wasn't there when she needed  _somebody_. "I love you," He hears her whisper between harsh breathing. He doesn't need to watch anymore, seeing Sun wipe away her tears.

He catches the whispered "I love you" back to her and "take care of each other" on his way out despite his best efforts not to. 

He thinks back to this incident when Yang comes to him, pretending to be angry at Blake. She's been overcompensating and they can all see it. She's been too nice, been too helpful. She's trying to win them all back, and he quietly has to wonder if it would be the same if Sun was here. Would she retreat into herself and only let Sun in or would he help her get onto the right path towards building trust again?

"You're not really mad, you know?" She stills at that, looking at him with a gaze he's not used to seeing on her. She's thinking (not that she wasn't smart, she just chose to act first before thinking most of the time: impulsive).

"Yea... I guess not." She looks a little bit lost at that. "What do I do, Uncle Qrow?" 

"Anything other than what you've been doing- she's trying. Badly. But trying. You should too, Yang." It's all he's going to say on the matter. He won't meddle with teenage relationships anymore than he meddled with Raven and Taiyang's. He's not an expert (probably the  _worst_ considering his relationship with Summer was entirely immoral), but he knows that relationships take effort on both sides. "Tell her how you actually feel."

When he sees them again, there's no yelling and there's no tears and there's no overcompensating. They did something right for themselves and he's happy for them.

He's happy. For others, at least. He's never been very good at being happy for himself.

He watches them finally growing together, for real together, and he can't help but to smile when he sees Ren leave a soft kiss on Ruby's cheek one morning, can't help but to smile when Yang notices and decides she can afford that much to Blake despite them not having their third with them, can't help but to smile as Weiss and Nora and Oscar and Jaune all seem to revel in the calm and happiness. They may have the weight of the world on them, but there were all still kids in love and in mourning. They would all be okay. He could protect them from the things that go bump in the dark. He would give his life to do that much. And, he thinks to himself, he might actually be happy for himself to be apart of these kiddos lives.


End file.
